We cannot say that all of the last decade have been easy, but we certainly agree that the good has outweighed the bad; and looking at all our experiences from scripture, we know that it has all worked for our good.

In January of 2002, under the direction of the Holy Spirit Pastor Gilbert M. Bookal along with other workers launched the New Way Pentecostal Church. The first service was held at Fletcher’s Creek Public School, located at 92 Malta Avenue, Brampton, Ontario. The ministry was a tremendous blessing right from the start.
The ministry experienced a number of changes and River of Life Restoration Ministries was birthed in January of 2006 from the merger of New Way Pentecostal Church, pastored by then Elder Gilbert M. Bookal, and Truth and Life Temple of Deliverance, pastored by Elder Desmond A. Samuels.

The first service was held in the main ballroom of the Monte Carlo Inn hotel, located at 45 Coventry Road here in Brampton - and it continued to be the place where weekly Sunday morning services were held.
The ministry experienced tremendous growth which compelled the leadership to search for a new location that would be able to host the regular Sunday morning services and facilitate the need for the various ministries required to effectively serve the ever growing membership and the community. The search didn’t take long as a facility was located at 287 Glidden Road, Units 4&5, in Brampton that had all the space the ministry needed to effectively serve the rapid growth.

The membership was very excited about this move, especially because it provided a stable home for River of Life and space that would allow the church to now start up various support ministries (youth ministry, women ministry, men ministry), as well as regular scheduled Bible classes and prayer meetings. The move was very successful as all the members got involved and worked together as one team with one common goal.

growth

The ministry continued to experience rapid growth in membership and now had several ministries running and effectively serving both the membership and the community. As the ministry grew, there came a time of turbulence which resulted in some members resigning their membership and moving on. However, the Lord was with us and those remaining - the majority of the membership - decided to trust God and to continue the work we were called to do in this city. That God was with us was very clear, because on one Sunday we saw the membership increase by greater than the number of those who had moved on; and we have learned in all things to give thanks.

purpose

As the years went by, we experienced new members coming as well as other members moving on to other ministries, but through it all we have kept our focus on the purpose of this ministry which is to “Reconcile man back to God through the gospel of Jesus Christ.” As we continued the work of the Kingdom, the location at 287 Glidden Road, though a great facility, had become a financial strain due to rising costs. It was then that Bishop Bookal began to look for another home and God granted favor when he received a phone call from a Landlord with whom he had previous dealings - and was offered a place that was more cost efficient which would allow the ministry to continue serving the members and the community. In October of 2010 River of Life relocated to our present location here at 180 Wilkinson Road, Unit 28.

goal

We know that this is not our permanent home but we continue to serve and trust God who we believe has already made provision for us that in due season we will move into that place which we will call home. Under the leadership of our Pastor, we are in the process of preparing ourselves to occupy that which God has prepared for us.
Through these 12 years we have had moments of celebrations via several weddings, baby blessings, souls being baptized, new members joining and the ordination of several Evangelists, Ministers and Deacons. However, there have also been times of sadness as we have experienced the loss of members through death and transfer of membership, but through it all we continue to trust God.
We ask that you continue to pray for us as we endeavor to keep spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and thereby continue to create history.